The story of potential.

The Last Story has had a year long history. With all the campaigns and wait, it was clear that Nintendo was not gonna send this outside of Japan. However, Nintendo decided to allow Xseed to publish the game. Is this a story worth hearing? Or is it a story that's best left unheard of? Let's find out.

Story:

The story is about a group of mercenaries striving to make a better living of the lives. Zael, to become a knight so he can be strong and protect people close to him. Dagran, to make a better living. Yurick, to pay back what he feels he owes. Mirania, to discover something important to he. Syrenne, to drink and live life to the fullest. And Lowell, to live life the way he wants. It isn't until a woman named Calista, who meets Zael, that the adventure of their lives begins.

Pros:

- The Story, though simple, somewhat fits the tone of the characters and almost does the job.
- There are characters to care about.
- The arcs of certain characters are well done.
- Side chapters are worth playing through.

Cons:

- While the story helps flesh out the characters, there are some parts that are rushed. While good in a lot of areas, there's a lot of wasted potential; such as more development towards the zangurak and more history over the war.
- While the characters are good, the overall story mostly focuses on Zael and almost forgets some of the development of the other characters.

Gameplay:

The game is a hybrid action-rpg-third person shooter. It also uses stealth elements on some occasions. The gameplay consists of:

- The combat and fast paced.
- There's some strategy involved in some areas.
- There's some innovation with the tactics that includes that party members.
- There's some neat stealth elements.
- Shooting works.
- The AI is smart.

Cons:

- While it's neat to use combat, there is tedium in just attacking.
- Some of the party tactics could've had more options.
- Seeking feels like it needs motion controls
- Camera problems.

Sound/voice acting/translation:

The soundtrack has been composed by Nobuo Uematsu; the man responsible of composing many Final Fantasy themes. The voice work and translation, done by a british accent, was sent over by Xseed from the European release.

Pros:

-The music fits the tone of the game.
- Voice work britishtastic.
- Translation to the names is well done.

Cons:

-There's some music not worth remembering.

Controls:

Controls consist of:

- Moving forward with the analog stick and attack with it (in default).
- Attacking or guard with wii remote (custom).
- Seeking or Gathering with nun-chuck (custom).
- Holding the Gathering button for gale (custom)
- Hold down a button for party tactics (custom and when gale bar is full)
- Gale

Pros:

- Works once you get used to it.
- You can adjust settings.
- Using Nun-chuck or classic controller.

- Online is more of a gimmick.
- Linear and short.
- On the easy side.

Verdict:

There is some wasted potential in this game that can't be overlooked. In the end, however, what's left is a solid game and a good effort. If you own a wii and are looking for a fun game, check this one out. It's at least worth playing once, maybe even twice.